1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, system and messaging service center for sending optimized MMS notifications.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Short Messaging Service (SMS) has been launched in 1992 and has become the most successful wireless data service to date. Typically, SMS allows mobile phone users to send and receive text messages of up to 160 characters in a cost and time-efficient manner. SMS is a “store and forward” service, meaning that messages are not sent directly between users but via an SMS centre. SMS may also be used to notify users of incoming e-mail, voice mail or faxes, as well as to inform them about weather forecasts, news headlines, stock quotes or other events they can subscribe to.
Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is the pinnacle of the messaging evolution. Currently being defined and specified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) as a standard for 3rd Generation (3G) implementation, MMS completes the potential of messaging and is becoming the preferred messaging method of mobile terminal users, since there are virtually no limits to the content of an MMS transmission. An MMS message may contain formatted text, graphics, data, animations, images, audio clips, voice transmissions and video sequences. Sending digital postcards and PowerPoint™-style presentations is expected to be among the most popular user applications of MMS. Greatly anticipated by young users in particular, MMS is projected to fuel the growth of related market segments.
Although MMS is a direct descendant of SMS, the difference in content is substantial. The size of an average SMS message is about 140 bytes, while the average size of an MMS message can be (in the early stages of MMS development) around 30,000 bytes, but is actually unlimited. As MMS is developed, users will be able to store a large number of messages, including those with video clips. The size of these messages may easily reach 100,000 bytes.
MMS uses the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) as its bearer technology and is being standardized and defined by the 3GPP release 4 TS 23.140 v4.0.0, as well as by the following three specifications form the WAP Forum:                the WAP MMS Architectural Overview;        the WAP MMS Client Transaction Specification, which defines the interactions between the phone and MMS server for sending and receiving MMS messages; and        the WAP MMS Encapsulation Specification, which defines the message content and the format of communication between the terminal and MMSC; all of which are herein included in their entirety by reference.        
An MMS server is a server through which MMS messages are sent. It supports flexible addressing (to both normal phone numbers (MS-ISDN) and e-mail accounts), which makes the user interface more friendly and allows greater control for operators.
The MMS server, moreover, is responsible for the instant delivery feature of MMS. The MMS standard, just like SMS, offers store-and forward transmission (instant delivery) of messages, rather than a mailbox-type model. MMS is a person-to-person communications solution, meaning that the user gets the message directly into the mobile. He or she does not have to call the server to get the message downloaded to the mobile. Unlike SMS, the MMS standard uses WAP as its bearer protocol. MMS may be implemented with any of the high-speed data 3G transport technologies (such as for example EDGE, CDMA2000, W-CDMA, UMTS) and 2.5G GPRS, and supports a variety of image, video and audio formats to facilitate a complete communication experience.
A typical MMS server is typically referred in the industry as an MMS Centre (MMS-C), and comprises an MMS Server, an MMS Proxy-Relay and an MMS Store facility. The MMS-C is the central element of the MMS network architecture, providing the storage and operational support, enabling instant delivery of picture messages from terminal-to-terminal and terminal-to-e-mail, and supporting flexible addressing. The center's MMS Proxy-Relay interacts with the application being run on the MMS-enabled terminals to provide various messaging services. WAP is used as bearer of an MMS message between the MMS-C and the MMS client (application). A WAP Gateway is used for delivery and retrieval of messages-enabled terminal to provide various messaging services.
As MMS is a store-and-forward protocol, MMS messages are stored on the MMS server, which upon receipt of any new MMS message sends the recipient a notification using WAP Push (that may essentially consist of an SMS message). The notification triggers the receiving terminal to retrieves the message automatically (or depending on filters defined by the user) using a WAP GET command.
Newer MMS systems further comprise Value-Added Service Provider (VASP) severs that are connected to MMS-Cs and are used as multimedia libraries or repositories for the MMS users who desire to have online MMS storage libraries. The MMS server connects to such a VASP server, and relays to that VASP server incoming MMS messages addressed to users with subscriptions to the VASP. Acting as an MMS repository, the VASP too sends notifications to the end-user as soon as a new MMS message is deposited therein for a subscribed MMS user.
A problem arises with the current prior art implementations wherein an incoming MMS message transits through an MMS-C and is then forwarded and stored in a VASP MMS repository. In such an instance, as soon as the MMS-C receives the MMS message, it sends the recipient a first notification alerting the user of the new MMS message. As the message is further relayed from the MMS-C to the VASP MMS repository, it is stored therein, and the VASP MMS repository also sends, another, second notification to the same recipient for alerting of the presence of the same MMS message. This implementation results in a transmission of duplicate notifications for alerting of the existence of one single new MMS message.
Reference is now made to FIG. 1 (Prior Art) that shows a high-level network diagram of a typical prior art MMS system 100. The MMS system 100 typically comprises an MMS Center (MMS-C) 101, which is the server responsible for receiving and routing the MMS messages. An MM1 interface connects a WAP Server Gateway 103 of the MMS-C 101 to a cellular system 102 serving a first Mobile Station (MS) A 104 and a second MS B 106. It is understood that in an actual system many more than the two illustrated MSs may exist. Finally, the MMS-C 101 may further comprises an SMS component 105 for sending out SMS notifications about incoming messages to subscribers of MSs A 104 and B 106. The MMS system 100 may further comprise a first VASP 110 acting, for example, as a service provider for photo finishing that connects to the MMS-C 101 via an MM7 SOAP/XML interface 112. MM7 is an interface for submission and delivery of multimedia messages from user equipment to a VASP, like the VASP 110, wherein HTTP is used as the transport protocol and SOAP as the formatting language. Such a VASP may provide a photo finishing service for receiving and storing the subscriber's photos, thus allowing later access by the subscriber to high-quality printing and photo finishing services such as postcard arrangement, T-Shirt printing, etc. Another VASP 116 is also connected to the MMS-C 101 via an MM3 interface 117 and acts as a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server and an MMS repository for certain subscribers. The MM3 interface 117 is a communications interface external or non-MMS for sending and retrieving multimedia messages from servers of external messaging systems connected to MMS servers, such as for example SMTP servers, SMPP servers, POP3 servers, IMAP4 servers, etc. The exemplary VASP SMTP service provider 116, also called herein a VASP MMS repository 116, comprises an SMS interface module 118 that connects to the cellular system 102. Finally, an IP/Internet network 120 may connect to the MMS-C 101, the cellular system 102 and a terminal PC 122 that belongs to the same user of the MS B 106. For the purpose of the present exemplary scenario, it is also assumed that the user of the MS B 106 has activated an auto-forwarding feature for incoming MMS messages, wherein each one, or a selection of the incoming MMS message are forwarded by the MMS-C 101 to the VASP MMS repository 116.
With reference being further made to FIG. 1 (Prior Art), when the user of the MS A 104 sends an MMS message intended for the user of the MS B 106, the new MMS message is first transmitted to the cellular system 102, action 140, the MMS-C 101 receives the message, and replies back to the MS B 106 with a notification alerting of the receipt of the new message, action 142. Further, the MMS-C 101 forwards a copy of the MMS message received from MS A 104 to the VASP MMS repository 116, action 144. The VASP MMS repository 116 receives the copy of the MMS message, saves the message, action 146, and also sends another, second notification to the MS B 106 for alerting of the existence of a new message, action 148.
As it will be apparent for those skilled in the art, with the current implementations of MMS systems, a problem occurs as soon as an MMS message transits in more than one MMS server, as the recipient of the MMS message, which in the present scenario is the user of the MS B 106 receives duplicate notifications alerting of the existence of the same single MMS message.
Accordingly, it should be readily appreciated that in order to overcome the deficiencies and shortcomings of the existing solutions, it would be advantageous to have a method and system for harmonizing the message notifications that are sent in relation with a new MMS message. The present invention provides such a method and system.